Just Like You
by TheNobodyofaSOLDIER
Summary: [Daddy!Levi x Mommy!Reader] - Nothing terrifies a parent more than seeing his child in danger. Levi finally faces his greatest fear, despite his son's bravery.


[Warnings for language! This one's finally about the oldest child.]

Leon peaked over his shoulder through the shattered window. What a hell hole. The screams of terrified citizens echoed along the walls of the broken buildings. Dark fumes concealed little pieces of the sky, further sinking those below into a blindness. With every step from the Titan, the earth trembled in their wake, reflecting the trembling of the limbs of fearful humans. The stench of death violated his nostrils, and his eyes burned. Leon looked back at his siblings, Faith and Matthias, their eyes wide with fear. Choking back a sob, he approached them and pulled them close.

"Don't panic," he mumbled, voice shaking. "We have to get out alive."

Faith clutched his shoulder. "But, what if-"

"No, shut the hell up," he gripped her hair, staring into her pale, swollen eyes. "We can, and we will."

Matthias muffled his sobs into his big brother's chest. Leon would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't scared. No, he could barely stand due to the weight of his fear. But, someone had to stay strong. Someone had to be thinking clearly.

He took it upon himself to be that person.

With a quick breath, he glanced around the cluttered room. For the past hour, the three Ackermans took refuge behind a large bookshelf, out of any Titan's sight. This particular street was clear for the time being, and the time to act finally arrived. Leon crept towards the door and checked his surroundings; he only spotted the very tops of the Titans' heads behind far off buildings. The whirring of the 3D gear was faint but audible nonetheless, so they were obviously too distracted by the Scouts to pay any attention to them. When he speculated to the left, he only saw the rising smoke, building and piling to the heavens. There were only two other streets that split down the middle. He'd have to calculate just right in order to save his little siblings and himself.

Sharply exhaling, he pressed his thumbs into his forehead and pondered. He knew that Headquarters resided at closer to the right from where they were now. If they at least ran in that general direction, it could at least increase the safety percentage. He gestured to Faith and Matthias, and they cautiously followed.

Back at home, in the safety of their yard, the kids always enjoyed pretending to fight Titans and rescue each other from danger. It was different in the midst of the real thing. He never imagined the gravity of terror or the weight of someone else's life on one's shoulders. Yes, one wrong move, and his little siblings could die a cruel, torturous death.

With one nod, he sprinted, clasping their hands tighter than ever before. He knew they were slower, but he only pulled and tugged at their wrists harder. He lead them up the street, avoiding any flying debris along the way. Matthias and Faith suppressed their cries and screams with desperate breaths for air. With a loud gulp, Leon hoped and prayed with every fiber of his being that his feeble plan would succeed. At last, they turned.

For a few moments, their pathway to safety ran smoothly. But, it didn't last long. Of course, it didn't. When did plans ever execute properly? About halfway down the road, the three siblings stumbled upon a smaller Titan, thirsty for more blood. It didn't take long for it to spot the fresh, little humans nearby. Leon's blood literally froze, but his heart pounded vigorously nearly breaking all the bones in his chest. He nearly sunk into a black terror until the whimpers of his dear brother and sister snapped him back into reality. Quickly, he checked his surroundings.

"Aha! A broken door!" he thought.

Giving no warning or command, just as the Titan paced its way towards them, Leon practically flung the frightened children over on the side where the broken door, creaked opened due to the vibrations. But, before Leon could conceal himself, the giant was already reaching for him. Jumping back as far as he could, the boy turned a heel and sprinted as faster as his legs could carry. As expected, it pursued with a low groan, its disturbing grin forever plastered to its face.

"Escape" was the only word circling through his mind. He refused to so much as shift his back. The vibrations indicated the on-going chase, and a head turn could easily throw him off. He needed to lure the Titan away from Faith and Matthias. Nothing was going to harm them. No matter what the cost, they were going him alive and well.

All he had to do was run.

He darted through each alleyway at a speed even members of the Recon would envy. But, his tiny legs were no match for the long strides of a giant. He refused to give in. Despite his stinging throat and aching lungs, he pushed himself forward. Tired was not an excuse when the possibility of death lay so close at hand.

One last turn, and hopefully, he would be safe. The Titan still gave chase.

"Damn, it won't leave!" he thought. "Did Faith and Matthias get out safe? Where are they? Ugh, my side hurts..."

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Everything inside him almost collapsed and gave up. His breath caught in his throat, and his pale eyes burned with tears.

A dead end...a fucking dead end.

No doors to hide behind, no windows, nothing. Just a damn brick will. Hobbling towards the filthied stones, he scratched his nails over the cracks and grooves. With an enraged growl, he threw his head back, calling out to someone, anyone.

To his dismay, the quaking from the Titan's footsteps ceased altogether. The sound of its labored breathing reached his ears, and its body heat invaded his own.

"No," he whispered. "Hell no..."

Slowly, he turned his head. There it stood, grinning stupidly, excited at its new catch. Its greasy, dirty blonde hair covered its hollow eyes. Despite its constant feeding, as made obvious by the blood splattered on its cheeks, teeth and lips, he could still see the black hole of bloodlust in its vacant eyes. As it reached down for him, Leon snatched a loose brick and literally chunked it at the giant eyeball peering at him. The Titan released a low drone and covered the injury with a palm. As it remained distracted, the boy made a dash between its legs, the only opening for escape. However, the street became an open ground for Titans looking for one last snack. A wave of nausea washed over his stomach. The Titan behind him rose to its full height, once more looking for its prey. Suppressing a cry, he ran for any clearing, barely paying attention to where he was going. Now, he couldn't think of Faith. He couldn't think of Matthias.

He was terrified.

Occasionally, he jumped and rolled out of the way of a large hand, reaching for him. He weaved around the rubble, the enormous limbs, the remains of humans. Oh, how wanted to fall over. He doubted the remainder of his energy, but he wasn't even close to being safe, nowhere near it.

One more step, and a crushing pressure around his ribs and abdomen encircle him. Slowly, the bottom of his feet left contact with the ground as he was lifted to the Titan's face.

This was it. He was going to die. This was the end.

Leon gave it his all. Screaming, thrashing, punching, digging his nails into its thick skin, biting, anything. But, all was futile. He stared into the jaws of death. Mind completely blank and nerves completely disconnected, he broke into desperate sobs. He knew it meant nothing. The Titan certainly wasn't going to take pity, and the Scouts couldn't hear him over the constant shouts and growls they were surrounded by. No, if he was going to die, he would do it bravely. Squeezing his eyes so hard, his eyelids ached, he bit his lip and waited. The pain wouldn't last long...

Suddenly, the Titan unleashed a horrid groan. In a flash, it released its grip in order to cover its now vacant eye sockets.

"You fucking bastard!" a familiar voice reverberated along the walls.

One more blood curdling groan was released from its slashed throat before meeting with the ground. A cloud of dust filled the air.

Leon fell. However, the cold air meant he was never swallowed. Something encircled his wrist and jerked him from the sight. Soon, he was engulfed in a familiar warmth, a familiar scent. A low voice repeated his name, almost angrily:

"Damn it, Leon, wake the fuck up. You're killing me kid. WAKE UP."

Weakly, his eyes fluttered open. Wincing at the pain, he carefully leaned back. Pale but filthied skin. Blue eyes filled with panic and rage. Jet black hair brushing against his sweaty forehead.

"D-" he grimaced. Damn, it even hurt to talk. "Da-addy?"

Levi's breath hitched upon the weak child's voice. He glided through the air, sword in one hand and his boy in the other.

"Hang on, kid," he muttered before Leon slowly sunk into unconsciousness.

The infirmary was especially loud today. The air reeked of blood, and moans of pain resounded in the rooms as an injured Scout took up every bed.

To think that his eldest son, a boy not even ten years old, rested in one of these beds was almost too much for Levi's mind to wrap around.

As he watched him slip in and out of consciousness, he scanned the thin visage. A few bones had been broken, and his abdominal muscles suffered severe bruising. He could have suffered much worse.

So, why did Levi feel like breaking the nearest object in sight?

Was this rage? No, it couldn't have been. True, he utterly despised the damned Titan that nearly devoured his son, but he sliced the thing to ribbons. Leon was not at fault. No one predicted the attack. He might yell at Erwin for his shitty speculations but he always found excuses to gripe at him. So, what was the force pulling and tugging at his nerves? Why was his heart beating so fast, it danced along the lines of literally exploding from his chest?

He was terrified.

It didn't matter that Leon lay here before him alive, still breathing. It never really hit him in the heat of battle, the primary goal being to save the lad. But, as he sat there, elbows resting against the edge of his bed, mentally counting the scratches in his forehead, it finally hit him: he nearly watched his son die. He was almost swallowed, bitten, crushed. Though he witnessed many friends and companions perish in unthinkable manners, this was different. This was his son, his own flesh and blood. He strived with his might all to protect him, and all those efforts were almost in vain.

Levi's mind sunk into that black abyss that every mind suffers after such trauma, the endless, torturous cycle of what ifs.

"What if I had not gotten there in time? What if I was too late? What if the Titan got to him? What if his injury was too serious for him to recover?"

It was basically different versions of the same question over and over: what if Leon died?

The anxiety grabbed every fiber of his being; the rapid heart rate, the nausea, the cold sweat. He remembered Leon's expression as the Titan brought him close to its mouth. No fear lingered. He seemed ready, that he willingly embraced death.

A fucking nine-old boy was ready for death.

What would he have done? If the next death he ever witnessed was one of his children? The thought itself was enough to kill him.

While rubbing his face with his palms, a cracked voice called him:

"Daddy?"

His heart leapt in his throat. Almost awkwardly, he fell to his knees, getting close to his son' face.

"L-Leon!"

He was barely audible. "Daddy?"

He lifted his trembling hand to clutch the slender, scraped fingers, gently, as if any harder would cause them to splinter.

"I'm right here, kid," he whispered.

The boy wiped his eyes with a sleeve. "Are...are Faith and Matthias..."

"Yeah, they're safe," he replied. "Mommy found them and brought them home."

Slowly, biting his lip to suppress a cry, Leon turned his head to meet his father's eyes. "I'm so glad."

The pain so etched into his face shattered Levi's heart into a million pieces. He brushed away some of his black tresses to stare into his blue eyes; yes, he could see the physical and emotional damage, but to his surprise, he could see relief, relief that he was safe here next to his father. He wondered if he even processed what happened properly.

Lowering his head, Levi side. "You're going to be staying here for a little while. 'Til your injuries heal. I'm sure you'll be fine-"

Leon suddenly tightened his grip. "Wait, D-Daddy! Are you leaving?!"

Damn did his cry stab his heart. "I didn't say that-"

He jerked his arm, urging him closer. Once he was within reach, he latched his arms around his father's neck. Carefully, as not to trigger more pain, Levi lifted his wounded body towards him, allowing the boy to lean against him.

Burying his face into his neck, Leon sobbed. "N-no, I can't-! I can't cry!"

He softly rubbed the back his head. "Why the hell not?"

"I don't," he sniffed. "I don't want to be weak. N-no, I can't be weak!"

"What?"

"I want to-" he hiccuped lightly. "I wanted to be strong...just like you, Daddy."

For the first time, in what seemed like ages, tears threatened to escape his orbs. "Kid, you're a damn nine-year old, and you're stronger than many of the brats in the Recon. Don't ever say that about yourself again," his arms encircled him tighter.

"But-but I started crying-! When the Titan was about to eat me-! I-I-!" he nuzzled his face into his sleeve.

Every heartbeat became a throb. "It's okay, kid," he swallowed hard. "It's okay to cry when your scared or sad."

"But, you never cry, Daddy," slowly, he pulled away a little to look into his face. "You're always so strong. I want to be like you."

With a sigh, Levi closed his eyes. "Doesn't mean I'm not crying on the inside," he chuckled lightly. "Sometimes, I wish I could cry like you or Mommy or your siblings," he slid his fingers through his hair. "I was scared shitless today."

His eyes widened. "R-really?"

"I almost lost you," at last, a tiny tear leaked out of the corner of his eye. In some strange way, it felt cathartic. Leon's mouth nearly dropped upon seeing it. Hesitantly, he reached a small hand and pressed his palm against his father's cheek.

"D...Daddy," he bit his lip in attempt to hide another sob only to fail.

"Sometimes," Levi's voice quivered, and another tear dropped, soaking into his sleeve. Yet, his expression remained the same. "You actually feel better when you cry. You're getting all those shitty emotions out...At least, that's what your mom always says."

Softly crying again, Leon rested his head against his shoulder again. Finally, the tears poured down Levi's placid face. With a sharp inhale and quiet sniffles, he rested his chin in the crook of his son's shoulder, faintly weeping, which was more than he had done in years. He hugged the boy tighter to his chest despite his injuries. All that pain he bit back finally surged through him, all brought out by this.

"You were strong today, kiddo. You saved Faith and Matthias," he whispered with a clenched throat.

No reply, except for his cries.

"You damn well did your best out there," he gulped. "I-" finally, a little relaxation settled in his chest. He sighed. "I'm proud of you."

The boy silenced but he remained glued. Right now, the warm embrace and low voice of his Daddy were the only thing able to comfort him in anyway.

"You're going to be a great Captain one day," Levi said.

"You...you think so?" he closed his drowsy eyes in hopes of sleep.

A quick breath of air escaped his nose, and the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile:

"You bet."

You paced the stone foyers, your nerves making every muscle in your body ache and tremble. You knew your son was alive. You knew he was well, but watching one's child almost perish so horribly was enough to bring any parent to his knees.

Thank God Levi saw him just in time.

So many Titans overran the city. So few people resided inside that hardly anyone even considered looking for survivors. But, all the while, you knew your children were down there. You knew they wandered smack dab in the middle of the chaos. However, breaking your formation meant a death sentence to you and your Squad.

It ripped you in half.

That's when you heard him screaming, and when you made eye contact with your husband, an unfamiliar expression dominated his entire being: fear. You knew he heard it too. With no consideration for Commander Smith's orders, he bolted, searching for Leon. Once he located the Titan so close to swallowing him whole, that was the end. His eyes flaming, he nailed his swords right in its eyes. Before you could even blink, gashes and slices lay open in its arms and head. Levi wasn't just killing this Titan. Oh no, he was torturing it. He made it pay for his son's suffering before finally jabbing it in the nape of its neck.

As sadistic as it sounded, you smirked at the thought.

You stood at the opening of the hallway, watching your shadow dance along the walls with the light of the torches. The air was a little chillier than you expected, so you tightened your cloak around your shoulders.

"He's going to be okay. He's going to be okay," you said to yourself almost ritualistically.

However, that didn't ease you enough. At once, you made your way to the infirmary. One more quick check wouldn't hurt, would it?

You nearly gagged at the stench of blood and infected injuries as you opened the door. The moans and wails from your comrades sent shivers up your spine. To keep yourself from staring, you flipped your head and ducked your chin, strolling until you came to Leon's current quarters. You began rubbing your arm, afraid of what you might see. Seeing their child suffer was one of the worst things a parent ever had to witness, emotionally, physically, psychologically. It didn't matter. You were scared the reality would crumble you to the floor. Finally, you stopped. Bracing yourself, you raised your eyes.

What you saw brought tears to your eyes.

Squished on the narrow bed, Levi wrapped the boy in his cloak, pressing him tightly to his chest. Both slept peacefully, despite the woeful cries of those around them. He remained there all day, just waiting, waiting for Leon to awaken of his troubled slumber. You could only imagine that what came after encouraged and strengthened the lad.

And Levi too.

With a deep sigh, you sat on the bed next to your boys, draping the sheet over their shoulders. Leon stirred lightly but returned to a comfortable stillness. You smiled and brushed aside his dark hair to reveal his pale face: sharp features, feline eyes, a tight mouth, the same strength, the same initiative, the same lousy attitude in the mornings, the same care and love for his family Levi possessed.

"It never really hit me, Levi," you mainly said to yourself, rising from your seat and watching the two sleep undisturbed and safe.

"He looks just like you."


End file.
